Guardian Evil

CHAPTER 37: The Lost Soul’s Chance

“Don’t worry, Maya. We will do our best to protect you from the dementor and take you home to your mother. I will promise you that.”

“WHAT DID I TELL YOU LAST TIME?”

“Uh… about what?”

Luciel’s palm immediately went to his face then he glared at Romina. “I told you not to stick your nose on businesses like this and now you made an empty promise to that kid! I told you, we’re only involved because the dementor is after you as well so we have to eliminate it. I didn’t say we’ll look for that kid’s missing body so she could pass to the afterlife. That’s not our problem anymore.”

“Luciel…” Romina called him.

“What?”

“I understand that you’re just concerned about me since you’re my guardian. I get that. You just want to protect me and to prevent me from trouble but you see, ever since Maya bumped onto me and when this apparition is after the two of us, we’re already involved. And… I couldn’t just bear watching a lost spirit like her who only wants to find her body and go home to her mother to finally be at peace and she could finally pass to the afterlife. She’s just a kid and grasping this situation right now is still hard for her. Who knows, she’s been trying to communicate to the living to ask for her for God knows when but she couldn’t so she’s still stuck here and couldn’t pass through. She finally got this chance to be able to pass and you want to take that chance away from her?”

Luciel stared at her in silence.

“I know you can’t feel any empathy nor sympathy in this situation because you’re a demon but this is her chance. The kid needs our help. Don’t take that chance away from her. This is the least we could do for her,” Romina said. When she didn’t get any response from Luciel, she sighed and left the room, leaving Luciel standing in silence.

“I understand that you’re worried for Romina, Luciel. I also don’t understand any human emotions and their ways of thinking but I think you should listen to Romina’s side from time to time,” Simeon broke the silence. He overheard the conversation when he was about to enter Romina’s room using the window but he didn’t continue since he heard Romina and Luciel talking.

“She almost… got dragged to hell while we’re saving that poltergeist. I just don’t want her to be in that situation again,” Luciel answered.

Simeon was caught off guard because, for the first time, Luciel responded to him like that.

I didn’t know this is much of a big deal to him…

…or maybe because… it reminded him of something.

“I know you’re scared—”

“I’m not scared, damn it. I’m a demon. I don’t get scared of matters like that.”

“Okay, I know. Let me re-phrase it. I know you’re worried but you see, Romina’s mind and heart were set to help the kid. The least you could do is support her and of course, protect her. You should hear each other from time to time. You’re not just her mere temporary guardian. You’re more than that to her. I could sense that. So just trust her and be with her all the time.”

Romina woke up late but she’s thankful that it’s Saturday.

Of course, after that conversation with Luciel, she couldn’t sleep well.

“I shouldn’t have said that to him,” Romina sighed as she slowly sat up on her bed. “I slightly felt guilty though he’s a demon, he won’t get hurt by that but still…”

“You’re awake already?” Romina’s eyes settled on Maya who’s now sitting on her bed, smiling.

“Oh-ah, yes. Are you too?”

Maya shook her head. “I wasn’t really sleeping. Ever since you rescued me from that place and ever since I stayed in your house, I didn’t feel weak anymore.”

“How is that possible? She’s a ghost, right? According to what I’ve read, ghosts aren’t felt tired since they’re already dead.”

“Yeah, you’re right but as you can see, a dementor was after her so it might be really tiring for a ghost, especially a kid ghost getting chased by an apparition as well. That apparition can actually weaken someone’s spiritual energy, especially this ghost. They’re be weakened twice the normal since they don’t have their own host body.”

“Right, Luciel told me about that—” Romina paused.

Ah, Luciel… now, I felt guilty again.

“Ah, Luciel told me that if you finally wake up, we should go downstairs,” Maya said.

Romina blinked at her in utter confusion but she still managed to nod. “Oh… okay.”

Romina took a quick bath and changed her clothes while Maya was waiting for her. As soon as she finished, the two of them went downstairs. Romina just took a quick breakfast with ham, mayonnaise, and a sandwich. She didn’t feel like eating a heavy breakfast.

“Oh! They’re already here!”

Romina turned her head at Maya who excitedly ran towards the door. After drinking her glass of water, she followed Maya.

She opened the door and saw Simeon and Luciel in their true forms.

Luciel looked at her and spoke. “Seems like you’re ready. Let’s go.”

“Go? To where?”

“Luciel said that you’re going to search for my body so I could go home to my mom and I could pass the afterlife!” Maya said in so much excitement.

“What…” Romina immediately looked at her. Simeon chuckled at Maya who’s jumping excitedly in front of him, patting her head.

Luciel looked away. “You… you told me about it last night. Since we’re already involved, we might as well give this kid a chance and help this kid so she could finally pass the afterlife.”

Romina felt happy after hearing Luciel’s words. She couldn’t help but hug Luciel because of such happiness. “Luciel!”

Luciel was caught off guard when Romina hugged him. He felt her hugging him tighter. “Thank you, Luciel.”

Luciel sighed and a small smile flaunted onto his face as he patted his human’s head. Simeon turned his head to the two and he couldn’t help but smile at them as well.

“It seems like they already made up.”

“This is the place?”

Luciel, Simeon, Romina, Maya, and L looked at the abandoned building of the school. It’s meters away from the new building where they attend their classes and Romina could tell that the abandoned building was where her mom and dad once attended school.

“Yes, that’s the place,” they turned their heads to Romina and Maya. “I remembered that I saw Maya there when the dementor was chasing her.”

“I couldn’t remember the exact built of this place but all I could remember is this is the same spot of the construction site where I died,” Maya added.

“Well then…” Luciel muttered. “L, transform into Cerebus.”

L immediately jumped off Luciel’s shoulder and transformed into a Cerebus.

“Maya, come here.”

Maya nodded and walked towards Luciel. She stood beside him and L, in the appearance of a Cerebus, sniffed her clothes. L proceeded to sniff the ground. His head perked up to a certain direction and barked then he ran off.

“He finally located the corpse,” Luciel told them. “Let’s go.”

Romina and Maya looked at each other then at Luciel and Simeon. The four of them followed L.

They finally entered the abandoned building. They saw L turn to the right-wing of the ground floor. They were about to follow him when Romina and Maya suddenly stopped.

“PAGBILANG KO NG SAMPU, NAKATAGO NA KAYO…”

Romina and Maya heard that piercing, terrifying voice that immediately covered their ears. The eerie, terrifying voice is hurting them that Romina couldn’t call Luciel and Simeon in a louder voice.

“Lu-Luciel—!!!”

The next thing they knew is they were on the floor where Romina saw Maya being chased by the dementor.

The two of them were on that floor, their faces shock as they saw the apparition. Romina’s breathing went frantic as soon as the monster looked at her. She could hear Maya crying beside her and she immediately hugged the ghost securely.

“Nakita ko din kayo,” the man said with an eerie voice and a terrifying face. “It’s time for me to get your souls.”